the roar of the stamp mill the north star mine on …...the star newsletter of nshc - summer 2020...

THE STAR Newsletter of NSHC - Summer 2020

Summer 2020

The Roar of the Stamp Mill

The North Star Mine on Auburn Road by Joan Clappier

Many visitors to the North Star House ask where the mine was. The answer: The North Star Mine was

right on the property where the North Star House is!

View from the west side of

Auburn Road:

- North Star House, upper left

- North Star Cottage down

lawn from House

- Further down and to right of

Cottage, the mine operations

buildings stretched above

Auburn Road, including:

assay office, general offices, cyanide plant, headframe and stamp mill (with trolley for ore carts)

The mine entrance was behind the rightmost buildings. This was the “Incline Shaft”, so-named because

the tunnel extended north-easterly down at an incline angle. In 1896, the decision was made to sink a

vertical shaft, called the Central Shaft, to intersect the Incline closer to Allison Ranch Road (southwest

of the then-new Power House). New mining

operation buildings were built at the Central

Shaft and later the Incline Shaft operation

ceased.

LEFT: The North Star Cottage was home to

the mine Superintendent, thus was home to

AD and MH Foote and their children when

they moved to North Star in 1895-6. After the

Footes moved into the North Star House (built

1905), the Cottage then housed young

engineers who were mentored by AD Foote.


The stamp mill actually straddled Auburn

Rd! The road ran through a tunnel. Since the

stamps were running continuously, it was

very noisy going through the tunnel. It was

known to frighten horses (and annoy people).

As you exit NSH, you can turn left onto the

road, drive a short distance, and see a wall on

each side, remaining from the tunnel.

Auburn Rd, looking south. Mine buildings on hill

LEFT: Trolley pulls ore cars on

tramway to mill

Fun Fact: While the North Star House was

being built, they ran a track from the

tailings pile to the construction site and

used an ore cart on the rails to haul rock

that was used for the walls and columns.

RIGHT: Some of the mine operation buildings,

left to right: headframe, mine office, assay

office. Auburn Rd is to the right down the hill.

The only operation building left is the assay

office, which has been converted to a caretaker’s

cottage for the property manager. The rest of the

mine operation was cleared from the property. _______________________________________________________________

The Roar of the Stamp Mill. When the stamp mill was running 24/7, life at the House was far from

the quiet, restful experience we now enjoy. Yet, in a letter to her friend, Mary Hallock Foote described

how happy they were at North Star. She wrote “…wood-paths and pine shaded roads and a snug little

horse and cart to travel over them with …and the roar of the stamp-mill distanced to the murmur of a

cataract, mingling with the songs of meadow-larks in the falling valley at our feet.” It takes an artist to

combine a roaring stamp mill and songs of meadow-larks into such a lovely sentiment. ___________________________________________________________________

As you leave the back of the House and follow the driveway down the hill,

- The building on your left is the former Gardener’s Cottage, now the Bear Yuba Land Trust office.

- Continuing down, as the driveway bends to the left, you can see on your right the remains of the foundation

and chimney where the North Star Cottage stood.

- Continuing ahead, you are looking at the former Assay Office, now caretaker’s cottage. The rest of the

mine operation buildings were beyond that, sitting above (or straddling) Auburn Road.


President’s Message Betzi Hart, President

This quarter has been a lesson in adaptability for

the NSHC volunteers. As “stay-at-home” and

masks became normal during the pandemic, we

found new ways to continue working on a

variety of projects.

The events committee and wedding planners

have been busy scheduling and rescheduling,

watching the ever-changing guidelines. We have

had to put on hold some exciting new programs

which we had planned to launch by now:

- Friday Nite Locals outdoor concerts

- A new private group tour program, with a

more formal tour for a fee

We’ll do these as soon as we can. We expect

them to be fun and bring more visitors and

visibility to The North Star House.

The construction crew has also been creative.

Some work has been done in home workshops.

Following guidelines from the County Health

Department, they put in place a modified work

schedule to resume some restoration and repair

work while ensuring safety and social distancing.

The garden crew has been busy, as always,

keeping the Heritage Garden looking beautiful.

The Soroptimist Garden Tour was cancelled this

year but we are scheduled to be on it next year.

We will also be tackling some major grounds

cleanup, so contact Larry Dulmage if you’d like

to help.

And there is always plenty of behind-the-scenes

work that is done primarily from homes …

upgrading our computer systems to run the

organization more efficiently, working on

marketing plans and materials (we have a new

brochure!), planning activities for the second

floor including the art gallery, developing a new

membership program, and much more.

And we’re all learning about teleconference

meetings!

It takes more than a pandemic to curb the

enthusiasm and stop the hard work of North Star

volunteers. We’re all looking forward to a

gradual re-opening of the House, and we look

forward to seeing you here again.

Stay safe and healthy.


Happy Anniversary to the Heritage Garden

On the first anniversary of the June, 2019, ribbon cutting, it is nice to look back at the inspiration

behind the design of the Heritage Garden and to enjoy the beauty of the maturing plants.

The Heritage Garden captures many of the plants and features of the North Star landscaping.


The Margaret Warner Swan Levine Art Gallery By Tom Milam

As the work to restore the first floor of the North

Star House has progressed, the planning for the

second-floor reconstruction is continuing. A key

feature of the second floor will be the Art

Gallery, dedicated to Peggy Swan Levine. The

general plan for the Art Gallery has been

formulated and we continue refining details and

preparing the space.

With each step of the demolition and clean-up of

ceilings, walls and flooring on the second floor,

the beauty of Julia Morgan’s design becomes

more apparent. It seems ironic that we need to

tear the house down to its bare bones to

appreciate the elegance of her design. But after

stripping away years of decay, neglect, and ill-

advised modifications, we have begun to see the

elegant simplicity of the design and construction.

In contemplating the details of the construction,

with a clear view of the attention given to all

aspects of the design and the craftsmanship of

the original builders, it is easy to imagine

bringing these elements into the design for the

Art Gallery.

I have been working on renovating existing

wiring, installing lighting fixtures and switches,

running conduit and wire for new circuits, and

other tasks associated with upgrading a 1905

building to 2020 standards. This work has given

me the opportunity to look at a much wider

range of considerations in the planning and

execution of the reconstruction project. To be

most effective in one area – the electrical system

– I need to understand all aspects of the work

being planned and executed.

With this in mind, I started looking at the

proposals for the Art Gallery, talking with all the

people that have been dedicated to the overall

house reconstruction and the Art Gallery

specifically, and learning what is being planned

for this space to honor the memory of Peggy. I

have taken on the task of coordinating the effort

of making the vision for the Art Gallery become

a reality.

We are excited about the way the gallery project

is progressing and ask our supporters to help us

find and secure the artwork of renowned Nevada

County artists (alive or deceased). We are

striving to develop a distinctive collection at The

North Star House.

We plan to have revolving exhibits, including special

presentations such as the work of Mary Hallock

Foote, who lived and worked at the North Star from

1895 – 1932. Mary was a famous author, artist and

illustrator of the West. As a book illustrator, she was

in-demand by authors such as Hawthorne, Tennyson,

Longfellow, Alcott, and many others.

Sketch by Mary Hallock Foote of Mining Engineer (Willie).

Donated by the Foote family


Volunteer Spotlight: Lori Nilsen

Lorie Nilsen joined the construction team a couple of

years ago. She is semi-retired from her two professions:

bookkeeping and painting. Lorie and Marrilee Shannon

have known each other for about 10 years. They took

tennis lessons and attended tennis camp together. Lorie

has competed at an amateur level in USTA (US Tennis

Association) tournaments, taking 1st place in her class at

a USTA national competition and earning other honors.

To stay competitive, Lorie started working with a

personal trainer. That led her to power lifting and

ultimately to competition in AAU competition. At a

national competition last year she set 5 world records in

her class. She plans to return this October and hopes to

set more records.

Lorie’s friendship with Marrilee plus her experience as a

painter led her to the North Star House. There is plenty

of painting and sanding to be done. And when she is not

doing power lifting, she enjoys doing demo work on the second floor – knocking out walls with a

crowbar and scraping up old flooring. Lorie’s talents and enthusiasm fit right in!

“The best part of working at the North Star House is the people. They are friendly, nice to

work with, and everyone is here because they like working on the House.”

__________________________________________

Support the North Star Conservancy while you shop!


Volunteer Spotlight: Roger Bloom

Roger Bloom came to Nevada County from the

Bay Area, where his career as a firefighter took

him all the way to fire chief. His aunt and cousin

already lived here, so Roger and his wife knew

this was where they wanted to retire. The

proximity to the mountains for skiing and hiking

were a perfect fit for their lifestyle.

As luck would have it, they moved across the

street from Marilee Shannon and Sherian

Kutzera, avid NSH volunteers. They decided

Roger had too much time on his hands so they

invited him to the House to meet the construction

crew. The next thing he knew, he was up on

scaffolding replacing shingles.

“I like being involved with something that is

meaningful to the community. Working on this historic house is worthwhile and rewarding,

and I enjoy the people I work with.”

North Star Historic Conservancy12075 Auburn RoadGrass Valley, CA 95949www.TheNorthStarHouse.org

the roar of the stamp mill the north star mine on …...the star newsletter of nshc - summer 2020...

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